2. Ragnar Lothbrok and the Siege of Paris

Emboldened by their forays, the Vikings escalate their raiding. Using shield walls, berserker shock troops and opportunistic tactics, the Norsemen’s military capacity grows. We experience life inside a Viking winter camp, as pirates become occupiers. A massive invasion force - th ...  Show more

Swedish Vikings turn east. Navigating their way past fearsome local tribes and roaring rapids, they discover new lands and new rivers - ones that can carry longships right to the steppes of Eurasia. A Viking state is established, the Rus. And it comes with a fearsome matriarch… O ...  Show more

Divide and rule, a man described as Brian Blessed but ‘with a bigger, bushier, blacker beard’, and a whole lot of regicide. Join Anita and William as they continue to take us through the rip-roaring history of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Emp ...  Show more

Summoned by telegram to a quiet country inn, Holmes and Watson learn the truth behind Violet Hunter’s strange new position. And as darkness falls, a deadly trap is sprung in which the hunter becomes the hunted… A Noiser podcast production. Narrated by Hugh Bonneville Written by S ...  Show more

We return to Jeff Frazier as he prepares for an audacious prison break. In the dead of night, with the guards distracted, he’ll make his move. Can he overcome the many obstacles in his path and escape into the jungle? Or will he be caught… and if so, what punishment awaits? A No ...  Show more

Each week, Short History Of... gives you a front-row seat as history’s most extraordinary moments play out right before you. You’ll be up close with the gladiators and the Mongols, unearthing the Terracotta Army, setting sail in Blackbeard’s pirate ship, watching on as the Cold W ...  Show more